


A father's love

by moonlight_petal



Series: We are family verse [8]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Family Feels, Gen, Jack loses his phone, Jill is alive, Kidnapping, Murdoc is a better dad than James MacGyver, Protective Jack, Protective Mac, Riley is an awesome sister, Team as Family, but a good dad, dubious MacGyver-ing, murdoc is an ass, slightly related to S03E06 'Murdoc+MacGyver+Murdoc'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 21:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19028173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlight_petal/pseuds/moonlight_petal
Summary: Since David came into his life, Mac didn't work as a full field agent anymore but not everyone got the memo it seems. Just like that David ends up in the 'crossfire'.





	A father's love

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello my friends.  
> This took definitely longer to write than I expected it to but I had a lot on my mind the past few weeks so yeah...  
> Anyway, this... huh, well... as usual didn't entirely work out the way I had intended it to and feels a little 'choppy' in places to me. I do hope you like it anyway!

** A father's love **

 

"Where did we put this thing..." Mac mumbled to himself, opening yet another box at the back of his garage. It was getting pretty warm during the days and he wanted to set up a kiddie pool for David on the deck. And the thing was, Mac knew for a fact that they still had a new one somewhere from when he built their -only slightly dangerous- whirlpool. It had been a two-for-one type of thing and since he hadn't been entirely sure his plan would work on the first try (like it did in the end) he'd taken it and put the new one into storage. Sure he could go and buy a new one, Jack had actually already offered to go and buy a new one but Mac at least wanted to make the effort to look for the other one before he gives in to that.

 

That's how he found himself back in the garage, grumbling to himself about all the stuff Bozer and he (okay, mostly he) had just stuffed in there. David was down for a nap, so Mac had taken the baby monitor and made good use of the time.

 

Until he didn't anymore when David started crying loudly over the small speaker. A quick check of his watch told him that his son should have slept at least for another half an hour under normal circumstances which suggested that something was wrong with the little one and that set Mac on edge immediately.

 

But whatever he had expected -ranging from a nightmare to stomach pain- the reality he found in his living room hadn't been close to that and the blond man froze.

 

"Well hello MacGyver, I have to say it's a pleasure to see you again although I admit, I am a little disappointed that I wasn't informed about this little angel here. I thought we had something of a connection, Angus. Of course, I always knew we're quite similar but never would I have expected to see that we also share the burden of single fatherhood."

 

Murdoc had David cradled on his shoulder, the baby whimpering softly, obviously still sleepy, startled and thoroughly confused by the stranger who was holding him.

In his other hand Murdoc had a gun, directed at Mac.

 

Mac's first instinct upon unfreezing from the initial shock was to tackle Murdoc and beat the living daylight out of him but even if he disregarded the obvious danger coming from the weapon in the assassin's hand, he couldn't do that without risking David. The blond clenched his jaw.

 

"What do you want, Murdoc? Why are you here?" he hissed.

 

Murdoc sighed, glancing at the boy in his arms, rocking him a little.

"Always straight to the point with you, isn't it. Is that how he happened as well? Anyway, believe it or not but I'm here because I need your help. And given these new circumstances, you might even understand me better and be more inclined to help than I hoped. I'm sure you know that I've been quite busy since our last little altercation. But you see, I'm still short one name on my list of personal enemies and it's just my luck that this person took the one thing from me that means everything. Cassian, my son, got kidnapped, MacGyver and I need you to find him and bring him back. As a father yourself, I'm sure you understand what I'm feeling right now."

 

Mac listened, feeling a sudden weight settle in his stomach when Murdoc told him about Cassian. The thing was, he actually *did* understand, as messed up as the situation was. And the gentle way Murdoc handled his son threw Mac for an emotional loop on top.

 

"Why me?" he asked softly, trying and failing to hide the emotion in his voice. And that right there, if nothing else, was a sign to Mac that since David's arrival he had a serious weak spot.

 

"Well, I would have thought that's obvious, Angus. You are the best, you and your little team are the first and only people to ever catch me, of course you're the prime candidates to rescue my son." Murdoc explained as if Mac was being deliberately stupid. "And before you ask, I won't accept 'no' for an answer and I will take him with me as my insurance policy, so make sure to bring your 'A' game, MacGyver to find my son alive and healthy. By the way, what's his name?" The killer resettled the baby in his arms and Mac only then noticed the diaper bag hanging from Murdoc's shoulder.

 

"David..." he said startled. "But wait, how do I find Cassian? Do you have any leads?"

 

"David, how very fitting... Allergies?" Murdoc continued, a triumphant little grin on his lips.

 

"None that we know of... Murdoc, this is crazy! You can't just take my son!" Mac felt his fingers shaking as the reality started to sink in.

 

"Oh I know but I've also been called far worse before, so yeah, nothing new there. I left a file on the kitchen counter, there's everything I know and you might need to know to bring Cassian back in one piece. You better hurry... in the meantime David and I are going to spend some quality time. Don't try anything funny, MacGyver, I'll keep an eye on you. Bring me back my son and I'll return yours to you!" Murdoc said, slowly backing up towards the front door.

 

Mac could only watch his son disappear helplessly. An anguished sob broke from his chest as the door clicked shut and Mac blanked completely. What was he supposed to do now? What would happen if he failed to find Cassian in time? Will David be fine? Will Murdoc be sick enough to make a baby suffer if this goes sideways?

His eyes fell on the file and ice cold dread settled in his gut.

 

On autopilot Mac pulled out his phone, dialling Jack's number as he opened the file anxiously.

He heard the click when Jack picked up the phone but didn't give his partner a chance to say anything.

"Jack, I need your help! Bring the others too, David's gone..." he whispered and ended the call immediately after. He couldn't tell Jack now and have to explain everything again when they arrive, he just couldn't.

 

~*~

 

An almost impossibly short time after the call, Jack burst through the front door, his trusty handgun at the ready and with Bozer, Riley and Matty hot on his heels.

 

It took the older agent only a split second to determine that there was no immediate threat present and came to a halt next to Mac on his knees. His blond partner was sitting on the couch, a few papers clenched in a white knuckled grip, shaking all over.

 

"Hell kid, what happened?" Jack asked as gently as he was able to at the moment although the uncertainty felt like a twisting knife in his heart. The other three joined them, listening anxiously.

 

"He took him, Jack. He took him and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I completely failed my son!" Mac whispered, eyes wide as he met Jack's gaze.

 

"You didn't fail him, Mac, don't ever think that!" Bozer said from Mac's other side, a comforting hand on his back.

 

"Who took him, Mac?" Matty asked at the same time, beating Jack to the punch with the question.

 

The blond man glanced up for a second.

"Murdoc..."

 

A collective hiss filled the room at the name.

"Son of a..." Jack cursed softly.

 

"Cassian got kidnapped... he wants me to find him in exchange for David... what if I can't? I can't lose David... not now..." Mac was spiralling and they all saw it.

 

Jack held Mac's shoulders as tightly as he dared, grounding him as best as he was able to. It wasn't the first time he witnessed Mac losing it but it was far from a regular occurrence and every single time was scary for the older man because Mac usually was rock solid and always with a plan at hand, as crazy as it might be.

 

Matty pulled the papers free from Mac's clenched fingers.

"Riley, these hold information about the kidnapper, run it through the system, see what you can dig up. Chances are that Cassian was made a pawn in this play just like David, if we can find out what's the actual target, it'll help us."

 

Riley had started setting up camp the moment Matty had said her name, glad to have something to do that could actually help.

 

"Blondie, we'll bring him home!" she said with a degree of certainty in her voice that snapped them all to attention even if it didn't hold for long in Mac's case.

 

**

 

"Alright, so apparently the guy who napped Cassian is called Benjamin Liu, former Chinese Secret Police. He's on various watch lists and has a whole load of cases of pretty violent kills to his name even if it seems like nobody really has something air tight on him which probably is the reason why he's not currently rotting in a cell somewhere." Riley informed them all only moments later.

 

"Liu... I've heared that name before, he has a rather notorious reputation among agencies..." Jack murmured. "But kidnapping really isn't his usual cup of tea, as far as I know, so what does he want with Cassian?"

 

"Oh you're right about that one, Jack. He definitely earned that reputation too. I personally came across one of his scenes back with the CIA... let's just say, I'd rather not revisit that particular memory." Matty stated, her face motionless but her tone painted a pretty clear picture for her team.

 

"He... uh..." Mac cleared his throat as best as he could to keep his voice at least mostly steady. "Murdoc said something about him being the last on his list or something?"

 

"Oh... oh I see, this is about Murdoc's merry bunch of crazy killers he tried to recruit and failed miserably at. Word is he's been picking them off one by one over the last few months for back crossing him. So Liu went attack instead of defense, napped Murdoc junior to lure him out and kill him before Murdoc gets to him. That's actually quite genius..." Jack said, quickly understanding what brought them into this situation.

 

"That makes sense... obviously Murdoc doesn't want to get killed, so he drags Mac into his mess..." Boze murmurs, nodding in dawning understanding as well, gently squeezing Mac's knee in silent comfort when his friend's breath hitched.

 

"That and I think he needs Mac specifically..." Riley said, typing with a speed neither of them was able to follow.

 

"What do you mean?" Matty asked, stepping next to her to look at the screen as well.

 

"Well, I've run all the information Murdoc left behind and followed a few trails Liu left behind with the kid in tow. I'm about 90% certain he holds him in Bogota in what was the former Russian consulate. This building might as well be a fortress and Murdoc would have about zero chance to get inside on his own. But with Mac's skills..." Riley looked hesitantly at her blond friend.

 

Mac however was looking at his own hands, still shaking slightly and it wasn't clear if he was actually following their conversation or not at the moment.

 

Matty studied the pictures of the building Riley had pulled up.

"Okay so we're planning a -if at all possible- stealth extraction mission. Get in, get the kid, get out."

 

"I would have said, I'll take a Tac team down there and get the job done but in that case the less people the better... so it's Mac and I, I suppose..." Jack said, turning to look from Matty at his partner again, grabbing one of his hands, startling him enough to look up with that. "You alright with this buddy? You've been out of the game for a while now after all... I can take Boze with me instead if you want and we'll do our usual routine. It's up to you, okay?"

 

"No... no, I have to go, I have to get Cassian back myself..." Mac said after a moment, got to his feet abruptly and went to his bedroom.

 

"Oh boy, I hope this ends well..." the older agent sighed, looking worriedly after his partner.

 

"You keep a close eye on him, Jack. You bring him home in one piece, promise me!" Bozer pleaded with his friend softly, his fists clenched tight. He didn't like any of this one bit but he knew Mac well enough to know that they were past reasoning with him.

 

"I promise, buddy. I got you lot home relatively safely every time until now and Mac and I, we've been at it for a lot longer. Trust me but more importantly, trust him. The moment we're out there Mac's training will kick in again, it's going to be fine!" Jack assured them all not only Bozer.

 

"Well we'll hold you to that, Dalton! Riley, send all the maps and pictures to their phones, you'll keep in contact with them and coordinate. I'll get the jet ready to go, we have no time to waste now. Bozer, I want you to return to the Phoenix, get Jill and try to find out where Murdoc is hiding with David. The children's lives are first priority but if we have a chance to capture Murdoc in the process, like hell we're not at least trying to." Matty gave them all their orders and only moments later, Mac returned to the living room with a backpack over his shoulder, a more determined look on his face even if his eyes still seemed far away.

 

Bozer quickly walked up to his friend and hugged him tightly.

"Be careful, bro! I know you can do this, let me worry about the lunatic here!"

 

"I'll try Boze. Just... don't underestimate him alright? There might be a somewhat decent father inside Murdoc but he's still dangerous and if... if this goes sideways..." Mac replied, voice breaking slightly at the end of the sentence.

 

"Don't! Just don't, Mac!" Riley had gotten to her feet as well to hug her family good-bye but came to a stop in front of the blond man.

 

"But..."

 

The sound of slap startled them all, everyone staring at Riley with wide shocked eyes, Mac with a hand on his stinging cheek.

"Don't you 'but' me, Mac! Remember when we first met? You told me, just like I hack computers, you hack everything else and that's exactly what you're going to do now! This is a new kind of hell, I get that, we all get that but we all, David especially, need you to get your head in the game here and I have utter faith in you to do just that. You will find a way to get inside that building and bring Cassian back home, unharmed and healthy. No 'but', no 'what if', no 'when'. You can *do* this and you have Jack and all of us to watch your back while you do it, just like we always do!" The hacker pulled the stunned speechless man into a tight hug. "Now go, get that kid!"

 

Mac blinked, swallowed hard and took a deep breath. And with the exhale he visibly calmed down, straightened out his shoulders and his eyes finally mirrored the determination he had tried to show on the outside.

"Thanks Riley, I guess I needed that! Alright, let's do this!" he leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek in another silent thank you.

 

Jack stood to the side, watching his two kids with pride. Mac and Riley both had come a long way and as much as he loved all members of his family, it made him especially happy that Mac and Riley found something like a sibling in each other, someone to rely on when their world got knocked off it's axis and he wasn't around to make it right again. Or to simply knock some sense into each other's heads, that worked too it seemed.

 

Gently he mirrored Mac's action and winked at the hacker.

"You did good, kid! Couldn't have done it better myself. Thanks!"

 

And with that he turned on his heels and made his way to the airfield with Mac.

 

~*~

 

"Alright, Riles... how are we looking with the security cameras?" Jack asked as Mac and he slowly circled the building to find the best point of entry. So far, it didn't look all that promising.

 

"Not yet... who ever wrote that encryption definitely knew what they were doing. There are a lot of backdoor triggers I need to work around. Nothing I can't do, sure, but I'll need a bit more time, sorry guys." Riley's voice sounded a little distracted and in the background they heard her typing.

 

"No worries, Riley, take the time you need. No sense in rushing it now. I'm still working on a plan anyway..." Mac told her, completely focused on the blueprints of the building on his phone, calculating various things in his head and mentally trashing one idea after the other.

 

"Talk to me, bud, what are you working on?" Jack turned to his partner, casually leaning back against the wall, face half turned up into the sun. For the unsuspecting on-looker they should pass as regular tourists.

 

"Well Jack... as much as I hate to say it but the underground plan looks better and better... With everything else, the risks are just way too high... We'll have to go through the basement and hope for the best..." Mac finally sighed, looking at the older man.

 

"Yeah well, nobody said it would be easy... or good... the basement it is then..." Jack straightened his back, shrugging off the casual facade. "Riley?" he checked back.

 

"Just a minute..." the hacker replied. "Alright, we're in... I'll scan the place now..."she informed them. They had needed access to the security system to find the easiest way through the building but mainly to pinpoint the location of Cassian if possible. They wouldn't have enough time for a room to room search, too many bad guys inside for that.

 

"Huh... so Cassian isn't on any of the cameras but there is a room on the first floor, right in the back of the main office, no cams there, I guess they hold him in there..."

 

Mac quickly checked that information back against the blueprints, nodding to himself. He had expected something like that.

"Well, I fear that's as far as 'stealth' is going to get us. That room has exactly one door and I expected it to be heavily guarded, am I right?" the blond murmured.

 

"You would guess right, Mac..." Riley confirmed.

 

Jack turned away from the building and potentially prying eyes and checked the condition of his weapon as well as his spare mags.

"Yeah well... in that case we go in as 'stealth' as possible and shoot our way outside if necessary..."

 

"Guys? If you can manage, keep Liu alive if not necessarily unharmed, I've contacted our liaison in Bogota, as soon as you're in the clear with Cassian, they will receive the 'go' to storm the building." Matty's voice joined their conversation.

 

"Sounds good to me, boss." Jack replied, a smirk in his voice.

 

"Any news from Bozer and Jill?" Mac finally asked. He just needed to know before he had to try and push all that aside to fully concentrate on the mission.

 

"Nothing concrete, but last I heard they might have found a promising lead as to where he's hiding with David..." Riley gave him the information he wanted and the ray of hope Mac needed.

 

"Good, that's good. So let's get this show on the road, the plan won't get any better..."

 

~*~

 

Breaking into the former consulate from the underground through the basement took some time but worked surprisingly well and without much trouble.

 

Thanks to Riley's takeover of the security cameras, the two men managed to navigate the hallways mostly without much trouble. The few guards they encountered, Jack quickly and quietly disposed of.

 

"Man, I won't ever get the Russians and their obsession with red carpets in official buildings but this one is seriously soundproof, I like it..." Jack murmured under his breath when he dropped another guard without a sound.

 

Mac chuckled.

"Yeah well, I suppose that has something to do with their national pride or something... anyway.... around that corner should be the kitchen... Riley how does it look in there?"

 

"Empty as far as I can see. There was someone inside a little while ago but it seems like he stepped out for a smoke or something, why do you ask? I mean it's not exactly close to your destination." the hacker said, keeping a close eye on her team mates.

 

"True, but I thought it would be the best place to rig up a distraction. If we're lucky, it'll draw away some of the guards from the main office..." Mac explained as they made their way inside and he immediately started to open every single cupboard, pulling out seemingly random things.

 

A wide grin played over Jack's face.

"My man is back in the game! God, I've missed watching you work, bud!"

 

Mac took another moment to mix together some of the cleaning supplies he found, with some other things he needed before he flashed Jack a smirk.

"You sure about that, old man? Because Ikind of need your phone!"

 

Jack smile froze for a second.

"Seriously now? God... *that* I didn't miss... Good thing I have a proper back-up system now thanks to Riley or I would honestly hate you now, all those cute pictures and videos of David on there..." he grumbled but handed over the phone without further hesitation.

 

"Yeah well, that's what back-ups are for anyway! You should have done that a lot earlier!" Mac said, tapping some numbers into the phone. "Alright let's go, this will go off in ten minutes, that should give us enough time to get up and hide somewhere close to the main office."

 

Literally like clockwork, Mac and Jack heard a loud explosion which was quickly followed by the unmistakable smell of smoke.

 

"Huh... I didn't think that this would work *this* well..." the blond mumbled as quite the number of guards ran past them.

 

"Well I didn't doubt you for a second, I just hope that the smoke won't get too heavy when we have to get the kid down there..." Jack retorted at that. "Alright, I see two remaining at the door, can you confirm that, Riley?"

 

Mac didn't comment on Jack's words, he had to admit to himself though that the smoke was building up faster than he anticipated as well, he might have overdone it a little but it shouldn't be too big a problem. Instead of worrying about that he listened closely to the typing coming from his comm.

 

"Well, no idea what awaits you inside but the two you have visual on seem to be the last ones." Riley confirmed after a moment of carefully checking the cameras.

 

Jack shared a silent look with Mac and then nodded towards the door. The mission was a go now.

 

Between the two of them they soon had knocked out those guards as well and Mac was picking the look on the office door.

 

To their surprise, there was only one more guard inside, no sign of Liu to be found but Cassian seemed to be unharmed and healthy if a little shocked and a lot intimidated.

 

"Riles? Matty? We have the kid and make our way down now, no sign of our other person of interest though but a good bunch of his goons maybe one of them will flip on him and we still have a chance there." Jack quickly updated the other two back home as he led Mac and Cassian carefully down the hallways and around several corners.

 

"Copy that, Jack. Let the locals take care of them, you just get out safely." Matty just told them when Riley interrupted her.

 

"Jack, there are two guys coming your way around the next corner, they look pretty pissed." she informed the older agent.

 

"Thanks for the heads up! Mac..." Jack let his gaze flicker from Mac to Cassian for only a second before he focused out front again, taking aim.

 

Mac understood what Jack had been telling him and quickly pulled Cassian into his arms, pressing one side of the kid's head against his chest and a gentle hand over his eyes and other ear to muffle the sound of Jack shooting the guards.

Cassian might be the son of one, if not *the*, most notorious contract killers but for some reason Mac doubted that Murdoc had let him witness any of it and he wouldn't be the one to change that.

 

When the coast was clear again, he slowly led a temporarily blinded Cassian past the bodies towards the staircase to the basement.

The boy took it surprisingly in stride, putting his trust into the two strange men to get him out alive.

 

"We are out!" Jack announced the moment they exited the underground tunnel a little later.

 

They got no real confirmation to the statement but the sounds coming from the former consulate told them everything they needed to know.

 

"Come on home, guys! Good job!" Matty just said.

 

"Any news on David?" was Mac's first question when they were finally settled into the car back to the Phoenix jet.

 

"From what Bozer and Jill can make out, our boy seems to be napping relatively peacefully. They found the place Murdoc is hiding with him and a Tac team is in place in case anything goes wrong. So far, however, it seems David is in good shape and to minimize the risk of something happening to him, Bozer keeps an eye on him but decided to wait for you and Jack to return with Cassian, make the exchange and then take down Murdoc." Riley informed him, her own relief at the situation evident in the smile in her voice.

 

"Well I'm not particularly fond of leaving David with that lunatic for longer than absolutely necessary but that's the right call. We'll be at the jet in a few minutes." Jack replied when Mac hadn't reacted to the news a moment later. A quick check of the blond told Jack that, now that the mission was over and Cassian was with them, Mac had a hard time to keep his emotions in check again which he could understand very well.

 

"Got it, Jack. You are already cleared for take-off the moment you boarded."

 

~*~

 

It was surprising and somewhat creepy but exactly three minutes after Mac exited the jet back in LA, his phone rang.

 

"I knew I could trust you to get the job done, MacGyver!" Murdoc singsonged in lieu of a greeting.

 

"Murdoc!" the blond hissed, watching how Jack's grip on Cassian's shoulder turned a little tighter in case the boy would try to make a run for it for some reason.

 

"Now I'm fully aware that our dear friend Bozer and his personal little blond sidekick, along with -if I counted correctly- six highly trained agents have surrounded my location so I don't have to tell you where to come now, I suppose." the assassin continued.

 

"That's correct. You do realise that we won't just let you go, right?" Mac said, his breath hitching a little when he heared a soft whine from the background, his fist tightening around his phone.

 

"Oh my, I guess your offspring might be hungry again... anyway, I was hoping otherwise of course but it was a calculated risk when I enlisted your help in this... let's call it 'wrinkle' in my plans."

 

"You listen to me very carefully now, you better make sure that my grandson is all happy and content by the time we arrive at your place or I promise you, us taking you in will be the least of your problems!" Jack snapped and immediately ended the call! "Let's go!" he added, pulling Cassian along with him, trusting Mac to follow them.

 

There was a car already waiting for them with the direction to their destination. Riley and Matty would meet them there.

 

"What... what did you mean by 'taking my father in'?" a soft, anxious voice asked from the backseat a few minutes into the drive.

 

Mac was startled by the question, it had been the first full sentence Cassian had uttered after their initial meeting and the explanation that Jack and Mac were going to rescue him and take him home.

 

The blond exchanged a quick look with Jack.

"Uhm... well, your dad is..." Mac started but really was at a loss for an explanation.

 

"Look kid, I honestly hate to be the one to break it to you because I can tell that you really are a good kid, but your dad isn't what we like to call a 'model citizen'. In fact we've been looking for him for a while now because he did some pretty bad things. So when we say we have to take him in, it's because he has to take responsibility for these things..." Jack tried to explain the issue in a mostly child friendly way.

 

"So we're going to jail?" Cassian asked, eyes wide.

 

Mac quickly turned in his seat, to make direct eye contact with the boy.

"Not you, Cassian. Your father has to but you will go and live some very nice people who will take care of you and love you the way you need and deserve, I can promise you that. And if your father doesn't do anything stupid later, I also promise to make sure that you get to visit him regularly, alright? I know that's not what you want to hear, Cassian but it's the best we can do for you. You will have a stable home, go to school and find new friends, that sounds good right?"

 

The blond had to swallow hard as he watched Cassian's eyes well up with tears.

"You promise?"

 

"I do! You see Cassian, your father made some bad decisions which got you in danger but despite all that he does love you, never forget that. He knew that he would have to go to jail when he involved us in your rescue but he didn't care because your safety was his first priority. That's what good fathers do. He sure isn't a 'good' man in the eyes of the law but he is a good father to you."

 

Silent tears left tracks down Cassian's cheeks but he nodded in understanding to Mac's words.

Jack gave Mac a look that was a funny mix between incredulous and proud at the conversation because honestly calling Murdoc a good father surely was a bit of a stretch but Jack understood what his young partner was trying to do.

 

The place Murdoc had hidden away in was a small bungalow that was part of a motel outside of LA.

Riley hugged her friends tightly upon their arrival, telling them that nothing much had changed inside.

 

"Alright, I'll go in... come on, Cassian!" Mac said, determination taking over again now that the reunion with his own son was imminent.

 

"Wait up, hoss, you're not going in there alone, I'm going with you, no argument, understood?!" Jack announced and went ahead of them.

 

The door was unlocked when Mac tried the handle and easily swung open, revealing Murdoc kneeling next to David, who was playing with some toy Mac always had in the diaper bag for emergencies, and was packing up the bag.

 

"Dad!" Cassian yelled and ran inside, directly into his father's arms.

"Cassian!" the assassin replied in a much lower voice, engulfing his son tightly, looking at Mac and Jack over the boy's shoulder.

 

After watching the reunion of those two for a second, Mac quickly made his way to his own son, taking him in his arms with no intention of releasing him anytime soon, burrowing his nose in David's hair. The shock of Murdoc pretty much kidnapping him right under his nose coming back full force. Over the happy squeal he almost missed Cassian talking rapidly to his father.

 

"Dad! Mr. MacGyver said that you'll have to go to jail because you did some bad things! Is that right? He also said that you knew this would happen but you did it anyway to save me! Thank you dad! He promised that I get to visit you though! Who's that, dad?" Cassian rambled.

 

"Did he now... well son, if Angus MacGyver said it, it must be true then. And that is David, he's MacGyver's son. I've been looking after him while he was busy bringing you back to me." Murdoc said, exchanging a look with the blond agent.

 

"Can I look?" Cassian asked shyly again.

 

"Well you'll have to ask him..." the assassin let go of his son who cautiously stepped closer to Mac, looking at him questioningly.

 

Mac didn't hesitate for a moment but quickly sank to his knees to lower himself more to Cassian's height to let the kid look at his son.

 

Jack took that moment of distraction to step behind Murdoc and pull his arms behind his back, fitting a zip-tie tightly around his wrists.

"You better not try anything funny now. Those visitation rights Mac promised your kid depend on it and you better not make my boy a liar now on top of everything else you put him through!" he hissed right into Murdoc's ear.

 

"Well, Jack, believe it or not but I would do about anything for my son! Angus understands that and I think you do too. Just make sure whoever takes Cassian in will do the same for him!" Murdoc replied and it was uncharacteristically reasonable.

 

"Don't you worry about that, Matty will take care of that personally and she might not care about you or Cassian really, but for Mac's peace of mind, she will make sure of it. Come on now!" One hand on Murdoc's bound ones and the other on his shoulder, Jack escorted the killer outside, soon followed by Mac and Cassian.

 

It didn't take long for the Tac team to take over and put Murdoc and Cassian into a car and drive away to wherever Matty had sent them to.

They all looked after them for a short moment but then they all huddled around Mac and David, every single member of their family wanting and needing to make sure that their boy was unharmed and well cared for.

 

That need carried over to the evening as well when all of them, including Jill, stayed over at Mac's house, camping out on the couch and the floor because neither of them were yet ready to leave David out of their eyes now that he was back home again.


End file.
